London: Favourites for Fashion Week

20150917

Around the Brewer Street Car Park – an Art Deco building from 1929 – the paparazzi are already taking practice shots. The London Fashion Week will be held there for the first time this year, from 18th to 22nd September. We know where the fashionistas’ stilettos will be clicking beyond the reach of the runway – in London’s best new locations:Casa Cruz
Transforming a shabby pub into a luxury restaurant coated all over in copper takes deep pockets. A factor that’s not an issue for Juan Santa Cruz, a Chile-born former investment banker. He has opened his fourth Casa Cruz restaurant in West London (the other three are in Buenos Aires), where the classic cocktails, jazz and low-carb cuisine have won over locals. The Argentinian steak from the Josper grill is popular with male guests, while women seem to prefer the ceviche with raw fish.
Casa Cruz, 123 Clarendon RoadLN-CC
LN-CC, which stands for Late Night Chameleon Café, is a concept store in a former boxing gym in Dalston. John Skelton, former buyer for Selfridges and Harrods, is one of the co-founders. Alongside young London labels, the store also showcases streetwear from Tokyo and renowned brands like Valentino, Marni and Rick Owens. First opened in 2010, it was given a makeover in 2015. Interior designer Gary Card designed two new salesrooms, one of which he fitted with a floor-to-ceiling grey carpet. The second he decorated like a gallery, with large, geometric wardrobes. The newest collections hang in them – for example by Raf Simons.
LN-CC, 18-24 Shacklewell LaneAlex Eagle
As Creative Director she only just oversaw the opening of The Store in Berlin’s Soho House. Now Alex Eagle has opened her own shop in London’s Chelsea. There, the stylist and PR expert, who counts Harper’s Bazaar and Joseph among her customers, displays things that she has collected on her travels. Jewellery and art are sold here alongside vintage records and modern design objects. You can stock up on children’s clothes and satin bedclothes as well as works by Cecil Beaton and Robert Mapplethorpe. Part of the melange of items spread over the three floors is Alex Eagle’s very own women’s collection, which is oriented towards male fashion. It was realized by the top shirt- and trousers makers in England.
Alex Eagle, 91 Walton Street, ChelseaHotel Chantelle
If you want to hang out with pop stars and actors in New York, you go to the Hotel Chantelle in Manhattan. Katy Perry, Channing Tatum and Sophia Bush have all been seen partying on its Parisian-style roof terrace. Now London has its very own Hotel Chantelle, on Orchard Street. Located above the Bonbonniere nightclub, it has a roofed garden with streetlights, park benches and luscious plants. Executive Chef Seth Levine (known from the TV show Hell’s Kitchen) serves lobster Benedict, French toast and Bloody Mary chicken.
Hotel Chantelle, 23 Orchard Street Southerden Patisserie & Café
From an unremarkable hair salon to “the most fashionable bakery in Britain” (GQ Magazine). That’s what happened to a location around the corner from Borough Market. Its founder Melanie Southerden switched from being a lawyer to a patissier and had the British designer duo Eley Kishimoto (who have worked with Louis Vuitton and Lanvin) design the setting for her salted caramel doughnuts. Pattern experts Eley Kishimoto added their “Venice Wallpaper” to create the ultimate 3D effect. Enjoy avocado éclairs, vodka pastry pies and Matcha tea in the somewhat psychedelic atmosphere.
Southerden Patisserie, 72 Bermondsey StreetRedemption
After zero-waste shopping, petrol-free cars and sugar-free cakes, there are now alcohol-free cocktail bars. That’s if Catherine Salway has her way, that is. The former Brand Director at Virgin resolved to change after living 15 years of stress at work and an unhealthy lifestyle. Together with a vegan chef, she founded London’s first alcohol-free cocktail bar. Motto: “Spoil yourself without spoiling yourself”. On the menu: vodka-free Bloody Mary and the Beet-o-tini with coconut water, agave and beetroot juice. Everything served here is free from alcohol, sugar, gluten, animal products and fish. Gwyneth Paltrow would have a ball here. And would probably order the spaghetti made of raw courgette.
Redemption, 6 Chepstow RoadPlayground & Proof
Playground & Proof is a combination of what Londoners like best: weekend markets and rooftop bars. A two-storey building in London Fields and a park in Hackney were allocated two separate remits for the purpose. Below: the Playground marketplace with The Cheese Truck, Hector & Milo’s Ice Cream Sandwiches and the record shop Kartel. Above: the Proof bar with a view over the market bustle. Here, the mezcal specialist Quiquiriqui mixes drinks. Enjoy award-winning cider and Fentiman’s soft drinks. And every now and then there are film evenings, sample sales and charity auctions.
Playground & Proof, Field Works, Martello Street, London FieldsKansas Smitty’s
They’ve performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Shoreditch House. Kansas Smitty’s: a jazz band that’s home to London’s best up-and-coming musicians. Now the combo has founded a bar where they serve bourbon, play swing and perform themselves, too. On Wednesdays – when the crowds riot at the sight of trumpet player Pete Horsfall and clarinettist Giacomo Smith unpacking their instruments.
Kansas Smitty's, 63-65 Broadway Market